Denso, Saga Univ. Develops Precious Metals Recovery Tech

Denso Corporation and Saga University developed new technology to recover automobile catalyst used precious metals including gold and palladium from industrial liquid waste by using residue from microalga based biofuel making process. The technology can recover precious metals efficiently and lower cost. They continue the development to recover other metals including rare metals.

Denso has developed technology to make biofuel by microalga, pseudochoricystis since 2008 but the higher cost is neck for commercialization. The firm tries to improve the profitability by utilizing the liquid waste and emission.

The firm started joint development with Saga University when the honorary professor Katsutoshi Inoue researches precious metal recovery technology with biomass. The joint team tried to develop technology to recover gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

The new technology uses residue as adsorbing agent of the metals. The agent has high performance of the adsorption at 7 times of sour persimmon and 20 times of activated carbon.